Late Tuesday afternoon, one of the most beloved Kansas City Chiefs defenders is leaving for the New Orleans Saints. As that news broke, three-time Super Bowl Championship Quarterback Patrick Mahomes restructured his contract.
In January, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Willie Gay posted a comment before the AFC Wild Card Round that indicated this might be his last home game in Kansas City. Well, those words rang true on Tuesday, as he agreed to a one-year $5 million contract with the New Orleans Saints.
The former second-round pick from the 2020 NFL draft, courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers in the Dee Ford trade, was a crucial cog in the Chiefs’ revamped defense under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Though he was part of the linebacker rotation and listed as a starter, he was the team’s fastest linebacker and had a knack for making big plays, especially in the run game.
Once the Chiefs re-signed Drue Tranquill, Gay’s future was with another NFL team. Kansas City never showed much interest in retaining his services. In the open market, Gay probably got the best deal he could with the Saints.
Kansas City has a pair of young linebackers in Cole Christianson and Cam Jones, who didn’t see the field much in 2023. I’m not sure either makes the roster, but I’m sure General Manager Brett Veach will add one or two over the next couple of months.
In other news, Quarterback Patrick Mahomes restructured his roster bonus, giving Veach another $21.6 million in cap space. With the Jones and Tranquill signings, Kansas City was roughly $5.5 million over the cap before that move.
Since Monday, the Chiefs have been conservative in their free agency spending. They re-signed Long Snapper James Winchester and safety Deon Bush and signed free agent Tight End Irv Smith, Jr., but each deal was at the NFL minimum.
Generally, Veach waits until day two or three to make a big splash in the free agent open market, but the pickings are slim heading into Wednesday. Still, the extra cap space will create maneuverability once teams start shedding more players to get under the mandated salary cap at 3:00 PM CST.
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